U.S. patent number 5,132,882 [Application Number 07/783,816] was granted by the patent office on 1992-07-21 for auxiliary brake lamp for motor vehicles.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Hella KG Hueck & Co.. Invention is credited to Dietmar Alder.
United States Patent |
5,132,882 |
Alder |
July 21, 1992 |
Auxiliary brake lamp for motor vehicles
Abstract
An auxiliary brake lamp for motor vehicles comprises a holder
which includes a track (7) which has a double-T-shape in cross
section and which is adherable to a rear window. A lamp housing (2)
is engagingly shoved onto the holder. A holding spring (5) arranged
in the lamp housing clamps a first flange of the double-T-track
between it and the housing. An electrical coupling of the lamp to a
vehicle power supply is provided by a flat plug engagement device
(12). That is, the double-T-track is electrically coupled with a
current source of the motor vehicle and the holding spring is
electrically coupled with a light bulb (17) of the lamp. A contact
plate formed as a flat lug (11) as part of the first flange of the
double-T-track produces a conductive coupling between the lamp and
the holder by sliding contact on the holding spring.
Inventors: |
Alder; Dietmar (Geseke,
DE) |
Assignee: |
Hella KG Hueck & Co.
(Lippstadt, DE)
|
Family
ID: |
6417934 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/783,816 |
Filed: |
October 29, 1991 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
Current U.S.
Class: |
362/503;
362/249.01; 362/368; 362/396; 362/541; 362/549; 362/652 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60Q
1/302 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60Q
1/30 (20060101); B60Q 001/26 () |
Field of
Search: |
;362/61,80,80.1,226,249,368,396 ;340/464,479 ;439/573,611 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Husar; Stephen F.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Griffin Branigan & Butler
Claims
I claim:
1. An auxiliary brake lamp for a motor vehicle comprising:
a) a holder including a track with a double-T-shaped cross section
including an attachment means for attaching the track to a rear
window,
b) a lamp housing engagingly shoved onto said track,
c) a holding spring arranged in said lamp housing for clamping a
first flange of the track between it and said lamp housing,
d) a plug-engagement means for coupling the lamp to an electrical
circuit of the motor vehicle,
e) the double-T-shaped track including a means for electrically
coupling it with the plug engagement means,
f) the holding spring being electrically coupled with a bulb in the
lamp,
g) the double-T-shaped track including a lug formed as a contact
plate at the first flange of the double-T-shaped track producing
the electrical coupling between the lamp and the holder by contact
with the holding spring.
2. Auxiliary brake lamp as in claim 1 wherein the contact plate is
arranged as a separate lug attached to the flange 9 of the
double-T-shaped track 7.
3. An auxiliary lamp as in claim 1 wherein the holding spring in a
contact area of a first end thereof comes into contact with the
contact plate over at least 3/4 of the length of the
double-T-shaped track.
4. Auxiliary brake light according to claim 1 wherein the width of
the contact plate corresponds to the width of a portion of the
holding spring in contact with it.
5. Auxiliary lamp according to claim 1 wherein the lamp housing has
two separate parts.
6. Auxiliary brake lamp as in claim 5 wherein the lamp bulb is
arranged in a removably attached second part while the holding
spring is fixedly attached to a first housing part.
7. Auxiliary brake lamp according to claim 6 wherein the removably
attached second part comprises a housing cover and an electrical
coupling between the lamp bulb and a second end of the holding
spring is provided via a detachable plug receiving device.
8. Auxiliary brake lamp according to claim 3 wherein the holding
spring in a portion of its second end engages the lamp housing for
experiencing loading and positioning.
9. An auxiliary lamp as in claim 8 wherein an engaging mechanism
for the holding spring is formed as a pin which is threadable
through an opening in the holding spring and which is fixedly
attached to the housing cover.
10. An auxiliary brake lamp as in claim 1 wherein the combination
double-T-track, the contact plate, and the holding spring is
present at at least both sides of the lamp housing.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to auxiliary brake lamps for motor vehicles
of a type having a holder comprising a track with a double-T-shaped
cross section which is adherable to a rear window or windshield. A
lamp housing is engagingly shoved, or slid, onto the holder. A
holding spring is arranged in the lamp housing which clamps a first
flange of the double-T track between it and the housing. A
connection of the lamp with a vehicle power supply can be provided
by a flat receptacle, or plug engagement device.
Interior lamps of this type known in the art are depicted in FIGS.
4 and 5. It is shown therein by a cross section, lengthwise and
perpendicular to a holder, how a lamp housing 26 is attached to a
rear window 27 by means of a holder formed as a double-T-track 28.
In this arrangement a holding spring 32 only has mounting related
functions. A second flange 29 of the double-T-track 28 is adhered,
or attached, to the rear window, or windshield, 27 while a first
flange 30 is gripped by edges 31 of the lamp housing 26 which form
a groove, or notch, therebetween. The holding spring 32 thereby
presses against the first flange 30 from below while pressure is
applied by edges 31 to edges of the first flange 30 from above. For
purposes of coupling to a vehicle power supply an additional
housing opening is necessary at a rear side of the lamp housing 26,
not further shown here, so that an electrical plug, or receptacle,
can be introduced which includes an electrical coupling to a light
bulb.
It is an object of this invention to provide a current coupling to
this lamp in such a manner that an electrical contact
self-guidingly results upon mounting the lamp housing on a portion
of the lamp holder fixedly attached to the rear window, that upon
changing bulbs no further electrical coupling to the lamp housing
is necessary and that the current supply is short and close to the
rear window.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to principles of this invention, a double-T-track holder
is electrically couplable with a current source of a motor vehicle,
a holding spring is electrically coupled with a light bulb of a
lamp, and a contact plate formed as a flat lug on a first flange of
the double-T-track holder produces an electrical coupling between
the holder and the lamp by sliding contact with the holding
spring.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the
invention will be apparent from the following more particular
description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as
illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which reference
characters refer to the same parts throughout the drawings. The
drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being
placed upon illustrating principles of the invention in a clear
manner.
FIG. 1 is a view of an auxiliary brake lamp of this invention in a
mounted position as seen from a rear of a vehicle on which it is
mounted, but without a mounting support being shown;
FIG. 2 is a simplified cross section taken on line 2--2 in FIG. 1
with a holder assembly, relative positions of individual lamp
devices being represented by dashed lines;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a double-T track holder
of the holder assembly including a clamped on flat lug contact
plate;
FIG. 4 is a simplified lengthwise cross sectional view of a
mounting support of a prior art interior lamp with a housing of the
lamp; and
FIG. 5 is a segmented cross sectional view taken on line 5--5 in
FIG. 4.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The auxiliary brake lamp depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 lies with a rim
1 of its lamp housing 2, which is adapted to a slant of a rear
window, or windshield, 3 on the rear window 3 with rubber cushions
4 on both sides thereof. A holding spring 5 is arranged within the
lamp housing 2 on each of opposite sides thereof which is affixed
to the housing 2 via holding points a, b, c, d, and e. In each area
6 of a first end of the holding spring 5 a relatively straight
double-T track 7, arranged as a holder, is aligned with the holding
spring 5, with its second flange 8 adjacent the lengthwise
extension of the holding spring 5 in area 6 being adhered to the
rear window 3. A contact plate 10 arranged as a flat plug, or lug,
is clamped onto a part of the first flange 9 of the double-T track
7 with a plug lug 11 which comes into contact with the area 6 of
the holding spring 5. A contact, plug engagement means, or
receptacle, 12 is shoved on the plug lug 11 to provide electrical
supply from a power supply of the motor vehicle. The receptacle 12
as well as its attached cable 13, are partially directly covered by
the lamp housing 2 and a lining 14 of the interior space. In a
rearward area of the lamp housing 2, a housing cover 15 can be
removed from the rest of the mounted lamp housing 2 for purposes of
changing bulbs. A sheet, or plate contact 16 is attached to the
housing cover interconnecting the individual light bulbs 17 and
their socket parts 18. To couple the plate contact 16 with the
second end 19 of the holding spring 15, which is arranged as a flat
plug, a flat apparatus, or a plug receiving device, 20 is provided.
Upon mounting the housing cover 15 on the rest of the lamp housing
2, the aligned orientation of the second end 19 of the holding
spring 5 with the flat plug receiving device 20 is maintained by
means of a pin 21 formed on the housing cover 15 which, before
connection with the flat plug receiving device 20 is achieved,
threads through the holding spring 5 at holding point d for
relatively positioning the holding spring 5 and producing a
stressing at the holding point e against the lamp housing 2 which
also leads to an exact positioning of the holding spring 5 upon
engagement of the flat plug connection.
The lamp housing 2 further displays, on a side directed toward the
rear window, two, spaced, parallel, and aligned with stems 22 of
the double-T tracks 7, guiding grooves 23 having open ends and
converging toward closed ends, which are shoved or slid in the X
direction so that their edges 24 grip or engage behind the first
flanges 9 on the stems 22 of the double-T tracks. The guiding
grooves 23 have at their open ends, on both sides of the
first-flange-gripping edges 24, bead-like thickenings 25 which
engagingly grip behind front ends of the first flanges 9. For
mounting the lamp, a double-T track 7, with the contact plate 10
attached thereto as part thereof, is adhered to the rear window 3
and the plug engagement device, or receptacle, 12 is engaged with
the plug lug 11. Thereafter, the lamp housing 2 can be shoved or
slid onto the first flange 9 of the double-T track 7 in the X
direction so that the edges 24 defining the guiding groove 23 and
the portion 6 of the first end of the holding spring 5 clamp the
first flange 9 of the double-T track 7, including the contact plate
10, between them to a point where the thickening 25 of the edges 24
grip behind the front ends of the first flange 9 and thereby
accomplishing engagement.
In beneficial embodiments of the invention the flat plug lug
contact plate is interlocked, adhered, or welded onto the first
flange of the double-T track. This makes possible choosing an
optimal matching material for an electrical contact relationship of
the holding spring which, in addition to aluminum, creates a
minimal friction upon sliding.
With an embodiment in which the holding spring comes into contact
with the contact plate over at least 3/4 of the length of the
double-T-shaped track and the width of the contact plate
corresponds to the width of the portion of the holding spring in
contact with it, according to claims 3 and 4, it is assured that a
sufficiently large surface for a rattle-free seating of the lamp,
after mounting, is provided. Moreover, a relatively large flat
seating of the contact plate on the holding spring provides a small
transmission resistance.
With the structural limitations of claims 5 and 6 in which the lamp
housing has two separate parts it is achieved that upon changing a
light bulb the entire lamp must not be lifted from its holder on
the rear window.
Further, it is beneficial that the electrical contact between the
light bulbs and the holding spring is made by a detachable flat
plug connection so that the electrical coupling of the
housing-cover elements to elements of the rest of the housing is
assured.
With the structural limitations of claims 8 and 9, the
pre-requisites for a problem free threading of the flat plug second
end of the holding spring in the flat plug receiving device is
accomplished upon mounting the housing cover. The threading of the
pin in the holding spring at holding point d hereby works for
positioning these members and simultaneously creates, before the
flat plug connection is made, a stressing of the holding spring at
the holding point e so that also here a correct location
positioning is accomplished for engagement of the flat plug
connection.
With the arrangement of the brake light according to the structural
limitations of claim 10, with double-T-tracks at both sides of the
lamp, a more stable and more vibration resistant seating on the
rear windshield of the motor vehicle is assured which
simultaneously makes possible a separate application of energized
and ground lines thereto.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with
reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those
skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be
made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention.
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or
privilege are claimed are defined as follows:
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